The global IT outsourcing and consultancy firm has extended its five-year relationship with Leasedrive for another three years with the option to add a further two years.

Roddy Graham, commercial director at Leasedrive, said he was delighted Capgemini had decided to continue their relationship.

He added the firm was taking advantage of green fleet options by using hybrid vehicles and was evaluating electric vehicles for possible addition in the future.

Capgemini is currently working with Leasedrive on achieving its sustainability targets, with resultant benefits to drivers in terms of improved fuel economy and to Capgemini by reducing carbon dioxide (C02) emissions.

Ruth Makepeace, employee benefits manager at Capgemini, said the company was pleased to have renewed its contract with Leasedrive and added: “This increase is testament to the collaborative work that has taken place between Capgemini, the driver helpdesk and our account manager.”

The fleet software and road safety specialist hopes the new seminars will help operators cut costs and sharpen management, and include updates on taxation, suppliers, duty of care and driver CPC legislation.

Seminars will be held across mid-to-late April in Waltham Abbey, Yorkshire, Warwickshire and Swindon.

New Zenith and AA smartphone app

A new Zenith-branded breakdown smartphone application, specifically for Zenith’s drivers, has been launched in conjunction with the AA.

Should a Zenith driver breakdown, the iPhone Breakdown App will send their location, recorded by GPS, to the AA with the driver’s name, phone number and vehicle registration.

The App also furnishes drivers with AA Roadwatch traffic congestion and obstruction information for their location.

TomTom’s driver telematics insurance foray

Belgian satellite navigation and fleet management technology company TomTom has entered the European insurance market with broker Motaquote.

TomTom will provide the technology behind Fair Play Insurance, a product that calculates premiums based on driver telematics, rather than demographic information.

In part, the product is a response to EU legislation that forbids gender statistics from informing insurance pricing decisions.

Thomas Schmidt, MD of TomTom Business Solutions said: “Our entry in the insurance market with our proven fleet management technology puts us at the forefront of a move that could help to revolutionise the motor insurance industry.”

PostNord’s 25m-Krona field test

PostNord is to field test two leased electric hybrid Volvo trucks running distance measuring equipment in a bid to cut fuel consumption and C02 emissions by 20%.

PostNord currently operate a fleet of 2,200 vehicles across 4,400 parcel pick-up points throughout the Nordic region, delivering 29 million letters and half a million packages every day.

While some trucks operate over vast areas, others run in pretty small shuttle runs, and PostNord is seeking to standardise its fleet, already reduced from 34 models of truck in operation to three since 2009.

The standardisation includes 175 new heavy-duty trucks from Volvo, the first time the company did not split the order between several suppliers, which will also supply efficiency training for drivers.

Both the field test and driver training could mean a lot for the margins of PostNord, which spends 90% of its fuel budget in the engines of its heavy duty trucks. The company estimates that cutting consumption by just 3% would be worth Kr 25m (€2.84m, £2.37m).

Innovation and Symbility commit to Europe

Fleet business outsourcer Innovation Group, value-added reseller for claims processor Symbility Solutions, has held its “inaugural user event” in Germany.

The event held in Cologne saw a parade of Innovation Group managers and customers from insurers such as AXA and DEVK speak of the company’s commitment to European business.

Innovation Group, incorporated in the UK in 1996, claims “the majority of the world’s top 10 fleet and lease management companies” among its clients. Symbility Solutions is a subsidiary of Canadian parent Automated Benefits Corp.